1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glass holder which is mounted to a window regulator of an automobile and holds a window glass.
2. Description of the Related Art
The structure illustrated in FIG. 7 is a conventional glass holder 100. (Refer to Japanese Utility Model Application Publication (JP-Y) No. 55-1261.)
The glass holder 100 has a U-shaped groove member 102 having a substantially U-shaped cross-section. A window glass 104 (see FIG. 8) is nipped in the U-shaped groove member 102. A vertical portion 106 extends from the U-shaped groove member 102, and a nut 108 is embedded in the vertical portion 106. The glass holder 100 is mounted to a roller guide 112 of a window regulator by a screw 110 being screwed into the nut 108 as illustrated in FIG. 8.
The door panel of an automobile is curved in the vertical direction. Because the window glass 104 tilts bit-by-bit as it is being raised along a guide groove, the locus of movement of the window glass 104 is a curve. However, because the glass holder 100 mounted to the window regulator is raised and lowered linearly within the door panel, the locus of movement of the glass holder 100 is a straight line. Accordingly, when the window glass 104 is raised, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the window glass 104 tilts. There is the concern that, due to this tilting, a wrenching force may act on the U-shaped groove member 102 and damage the glass holder 100.
Further, when attempts are made to eliminate the wrenching force which is caused by the offset between the locus of movement of the window glass 104 and the locus of movement of the glass holder 100, a drawback arises in that the mechanism of the window regulator becomes complex.